With newer video gaming systems, graphics and sound embody exciting gaming experiences. As games grow in complexity, the gaming systems need more processing power and the image and sound files begin to take up more storage space. Patrons want newer and more complex features as well as more dynamic content. This fuels the continual need to upgrade gaming devices with more powerful processing, video, sound, and storage components. In such a cost conscious industry, the need for more dynamic content and the cost of the platform to support that content can often lead to decisions which delay the release of newer titles which in turn can significantly impact revenues.
It is not unusual to have image and sound files consume megabytes of storage. The storage of these files at the local level, as is currently done, does not lend itself well to evolving content. The massive size of the data precludes continual storage in main memory. As storage is moved away from the local gaming console, bandwidth requirements for faster, more exciting games have become critical. The gaming environment will be moving towards a more distributed environment, where central servers provide content, storage, and management capabilities for the gaming systems.
In addition to sharing storage, the gaming systems may have the ability to share components, such as a camera overseeing a number of gaming systems grouped together.
In addition, the gaming environment may benefit from gaming systems that are reconfigurable and adaptable, based on a peer-to-peer communications system, rather than client/server. Shared and local components in these types of systems may be added and removed from gaming systems for reconfiguration or maintenance requirements, with little or no effect on the performance of the gaming system. This would allow increased flexibility and provide more options for an exciting gaming environment.
Finally, the ability to offload processing to local and/or remote peripherals in a peer-to-peer communications systems reduces the processing power needed for critical game functionality as is currently utilized in a traditional gaming system. The advent of a system that allows for the distribution of processing and/or storage to peripheral components, thus breaking the need for the continual upgrade cycle, can significantly improve the bottom line revenues of a manufacturer.